Frusciante joined the Chili Peppers at the age of 18 after the death of guitarist Hillel Slovak, and first appeared on their album Mother's Milk (1989). His second album with the band, Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991), was their breakthrough success. Overwhelmed by the band's newfound popularity, he quit in 1992. He became a recluse and entered a period of heroin addiction, during which he released his first solo recordings: Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt (1994) and Smile from the Streets You Hold (1997). In 1998, he completed drug rehabilitation and rejoined the Chili Peppers, taking them to major success with their albums Californication (1999), By the Way (2002) and Stadium Arcadium (2006). He left the Red Hot Chili Peppers again in 2009 to focus on solo work, and rejoined in 2019.
Frusciante's solo work encompasses genres including experimental rock, ambient music and electronica. He released six albums in 2004, each exploring different genres and recording techniques. In 2009, Frusciante released The Empyrean, which features Chili Peppers bassist Flea and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer. Frusciante also releases acid house under the alias Trickfinger. With Klinghoffer and Joe Lally, he has released two albums as Ataxia.
Frusciante was named one of the greatest guitarists by Rolling Stone and Gibson, and in a BBC poll. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2012.
Frusciante's musical style has evolved over the course of his career. Although he received moderate recognition for his early guitar work, it was not until later in his career that music critics and guitarists alike began to fully recognize it: in October 2003, he was ranked eighteenth in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Frusciante attributes this recent recognition to his shift in focus, stating that he chose an approach based on rhythmic patterns inspired by the complexity of material Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen produced. On earlier records, however, much of his output was influenced by various underground punk and new wave musicians.
In general, his sound is also defined by an affinity for vintage guitars. All the guitars that he owns, records, and tours with were made before 1970. Frusciante uses the specific guitar that he finds appropriate for a certain song. All of the guitars he owned before quitting the band were destroyed when his house burned down in 1996. The first guitar he bought after rejoining the Chili Peppers was a 1962 red Fender Jaguar. His most-often used guitar, however, is a 1961 Sunburst Fender Stratocaster that was given to him as a gift from Anthony Kiedis after Frusciante rejoined the Chili Peppers in 1998. He has played this guitar on every album since rejoining the Chili Peppers, and their ensuing tours. He also owns a 1955 Fender Stratocaster, his only Strat with a maple fretboard. Frusciante's most highly appraised instrument is a 1955 Gretsch White Falcon, which he used twice per show for the songs Californication and Otherside. Since 2006, he only uses it for the latter song, saying there was "no room for it", preferring multiple Stratocasters for the Stadium Arcadium tour. Virtually all of Frusciante's acoustic work is played with a 1950s Martin 0–15.
After leaving the Red Hot Chili Peppers, he switched to using a Yamaha SG as his primary guitar for his solo work. "With the Yamaha SG, I could play along with guitar players who were playing, say, Les Pauls, and feel like the sound matched what I was hearing on the record. ... People like Robert Fripp, Mick Ronson, Tony Iommi, and particularly John McGeoch from Siouxsie and the Banshees, who played a Yamaha SG, which is why I bought one in the first place". Frusciante has also noted his increased use of the Roland MC-202 for his electronic music, saying that he was at the point "where I thought as much like a 202ist as I did a guitarist ..." The MC-202 has been his primary melodic instrument in his electronic music.
With the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Frusciante provided backing vocals in a falsetto tenor, a style he started on Blood Sugar Sex Magik. He thoroughly enjoyed his role in the Chili Peppers as backing vocalist, and said that backing vocals are a "real art form". Despite his commitment to the Chili Peppers, he felt that his work with the band should remain separate from his solo projects. When he returned to the Chili Peppers in 1998, Kiedis wanted the band to record "Living in Hell", a song Frusciante had written several years before. Frusciante refused, feeling that the creative freedom he needed for his solo projects would have conflicted with his role in the band.
Emptiness
John Frusciante Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It fell into a crack
Eleven tries leading the way
And then forsight comes
I've lost my sense of it all
The feelings I can't resolve
Circumstances outside convention
And you know I tried
I found the rest of me
I was beaten on down
Emptiness set me free
I lived on a cloud
Walk through the storm
Was like a holyday
I happened to have been warned
Over and over again
The sense of speaking dissolved
Words meanings I couldn't recall
And all I'd found did my losing
I was tough to find
Playing games with my mind
Up the drops that I climbed
In the abyss I was hurled into
By who I brought back into time
I found the rest of me
I was beaten on down
Emptiness set me free
I lived on a cloud
The walk through the storm was like a holyday
I happen to be warned
Over and over again
Over and over again
The lyrics to John Frusciante's "Emptiness" delve into the theme of loss, both in terms of one's sense of self and in terms of circumstances beyond one's control. The opening line, "And now a minute is trapped, it fell into a crack" could be interpreted as a metaphor for how time can slip away and become lost or obscured. The following lines, "Eleven tries leading the way, and then foresight comes / I've lost my sense of it all, the feelings I can't resolve" suggest a struggle to make sense of the world and navigate it effectively. The sense of losing oneself is echoed in the line "The sense of speaking dissolved, words meanings I couldn't recall" which reinforces the idea that there is a loss of clarity and purpose.
Despite the difficulties described in the previous verses, the chorus reframes the emptiness as a positive thing, stating "Emptiness set me free, I lived on a cloud / Walk through the storm was like a holiday, I happened to have been warned / Over and over again." Here, the sense of emptiness becomes a source of liberation and the storm a chance to relax and enjoy oneself.
The final verse continues the theme of struggle and being lost, with lines like "Playing games with my mind, up the drops that I climbed / In the abyss I was hurled into by who I brought back into time" suggesting a personal struggle with mental health or past traumas. However, the response remains the same: "Emptiness set me free, I lived on a cloud" suggesting that despite the difficulties, an empty mind is still preferable to one filled with pain and conflict.
Line by Line Meaning
And now a minute is trapped
Time is passing slowly and painfully, as if it is trapped and cannot move forward.
It fell into a crack
Time is suddenly lost and unaccounted for, as if it has fallen into a deep hole.
Eleven tries leading the way
Despite many attempts, nothing seems to work and the path forward remains uncertain.
And then forsight comes
After many failed attempts, a sense of clarity suddenly emerges, as if foresight has finally arrived.
I've lost my sense of it all
The artist feels lost and confused, unable to make sense of their feelings and experiences.
The feelings I can't resolve
Intense emotions continue to weigh heavy on the singer, with no clear resolution in sight.
Circumstances outside convention
The situation at hand is unusual or unexpected, and does not follow typical patterns or expectations.
And you know I tried
Despite the struggle and confusion, the artist made a genuine effort to overcome the obstacles.
To be part of life
The artist wants to engage fully with the world around them and find meaning in their experiences.
I found the rest of me
Through the struggle and pain, the artist has discovered a deeper part of themselves that was previously unknown.
I was beaten on down
Despite the positive outcome, the path to finding oneself was difficult and exhausting.
Emptiness set me free
By letting go of attachments and expectations, the artist was able to find a sense of freedom and peace.
I lived on a cloud
The singer felt like they were floating and weightless, unencumbered by the challenges of life.
Walk through the storm
Navigating through difficult times and challenges required a lot of effort and perseverance.
Was like a holyday
Despite the struggle, the experience of growth and self-discovery was sacred and meaningful.
I happened to have been warned
Despite feeling lost and uncertain, the artist had some sense of what to expect due to prior experiences or advice from others.
The sense of speaking dissolved
The ability to express oneself clearly and effectively became more and more difficult and confusing.
Words meanings I couldn't recall
The words the singer knows and loves became hollow and meaningless in the face of their experiences.
And all I'd found did my losing
Despite making progress in personal growth, the process involved a sense of loss and letting go of parts of oneself.
I was tough to find
Finding oneself was a difficult and challenging process, requiring a lot of introspection and self-examination.
Playing games with my mind
The artist's own thoughts and beliefs became something of a puzzle or game, requiring a strategic approach to navigate.
Up the drops that I climbed
The progress that the artist made was uphill and challenging, requiring a lot of effort and determination.
In the abyss I was hurled into
The singer felt like they were thrown into a dark and bottomless void, unable to find their way out.
By who I brought back into time
Past experiences or people from the past contributed to the artist's struggles and challenges on their journey of self-discovery.
Over and over again
The cycle of struggle, growth, and loss repeats itself, with each iteration bringing greater understanding and self-knowledge.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JOHN FRUSCIANTE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind